


A Little Bit of Spine

by morninglassofoj



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Day 6, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Tsukkiyama Week, it's great, tsukki gets drunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2016-07-07
Packaged: 2018-07-22 01:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7414012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morninglassofoj/pseuds/morninglassofoj
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When all the first years are back in town, and Yamaguchi has to cancel at the last minute, will Tsukki's sanity survive? The short answer is no.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Bit of Spine

**Author's Note:**

> Tsukkiyama week day 6: Marriage proposal
> 
> I know I'm a little late, sorry!
> 
> Drunk Tsukki is best Tsukki

Tsukishima was glad it was a Friday, even if he knew this weekend would be even more work than he had done all week. The Japanese national team was beginning their off season, so Kageyama would actually be in Miyagi again for the first time in months. Hinata was coaching at Karasuno and they had just finished spring Interhigh-won spring Interhigh-so he had a little bit of a break until things picked up again before nationals. Yachi was off work since she had heard everyone would be in town; as a sportscaster, it was hard for her to get weekends off, so she only saved them for special occasions. While he was looking forward to seeing his friends, he knew this weekend would be exhausting. 

If he had gotten the call ten years ago when they were all first years that Yamaguchi had to work late and wouldn’t make it to dinner, he might’ve just opted out, gone home to their apartment and fixed himself a lousy supper (Yamaguchi was the one who cooked. Tsukishima could make rice.).

But they weren’t in high school anymore, and they didn’t all have the weight of succeeding in school and volleyball-well, Kageyama did, but he hardly seemed stressed-so their relationships had become a lot less strenuous. Yachi said dating Yamaguchi had “mellowed” Tsukishima. Hinata preferred to say Yamaguchi had tamed the beast. Kageyama would just mumble that he was a little less of an asshole now. Whatever way it was described, Tsukishima no longer had (that many) qualms with going out to dinner with his loud old team mates alone, and promised Yamaguchi he’s give them his best before leaving the office. 

Hinata had suggested completely seriously that they all just go grab meat buns at Sakonoshita for old times’ sake. Yachi had giggled saying she had never even gone to the convenience store with the team. Kageyama had slapped him on the back of the head calling him a dumbass, but not suggesting a better option. Eventually Tsukishima had sighed and guided them all to a new western style restaurant that had sprung up near the center of town in that last couple of years. He didn’t eat there often, but they had good drinks, and he had the feeling he was going to need one, what with the freak duo reunited after nearly a year. 

Dinner had gone surprisingly smoothly, and Tsukishima was baffled to find himself fully willing to stay afterwards for the idle conversation that was soon to follow. He chalked it up to the alcohol and ordered another round for the table before settling in for what he felt would be an only slightly more advanced version of show and tell, thankful for the pleasant buzz in head.

They had all seen Yachi on the sports channel, so no one needed to ask how work was going, but they did anyway. She blushed when Hinata told her about how often he had seen her reporting, thanking her profusely for the kind words when she had reported on Karasuno’s “domination” at Interhighs. 

“I suppose those words were a little too kind,” she teased, laughing as Hinata’s face turned white at the sass. In a career path generally more traveled by men, she had consulted Tsukishima and Yamaguchi early on about how to keep up with their teasing. From what they heard, her gentle ribbing mixed with her wit that had always been sharp-if underused-left many a man speechless if they ever made a comment about the proficiency of the only woman in the office. She had bought the two dinner on multiple occasions in thanks once all of the sexist men at work had run out of words.

Tsukishima was next. He reasoned that they were getting through the concise of the four before Kageyama and Hinata set off on trying it one up each other with their accomplishments. He still worked at the same accounting firm, and Yamaguchi had gotten a job as a nurse in the local children’s hospital and was loving it, despite the fact that seeing so many of the kids sick and weak left him feeling a bit dejected by the end of the day. Yachi asked if his cooking skills had improved any, nudging him playfully with her elbow. He was as surprised as the others when he laughed at the question and responded that they were gradually improving-Yachi congratulated him, if a bit sarcastically, when he told her Yamaguchi had promoted him to rice duty-but they’d definitely still had to replace a few pots this past year. He wanted to get better though so that when Yamaguchi got home in the evening he didn’t also have to cook dinner for the two.

Kageyama and Hinata looked nonplussed by his and Yamaguchi’s domestic endeavors and subjectively boring jobs, and promptly launched into an in depth discussion about volleyball, and suddenly it was like high school again. Though they were all three years out of university, their lingering team dynamic had hardly changed.   
Hinata briefly complained about how most of the kids he coached were taller than him-“That’s not saying much, dumbass.”-but said that, when he was talking to Kenma, he’d reminded him of how Yaku used to handle being called short.

“Yeah, it only took one kick to the mouthiest one to get everyone to shut up about it, but,” he paused, looking down at his hands, rolling his glass between them, “I think they think I’m scarier than old Coach Ukai now…” he trailed off sheepishly, much to the tables delight. They all broke into a long bout of laughter. 

“Hinata? Scary? As if; He’s too short to be even intimidating.” Tsukishima teased.

“Hey, don’t make me kick you too, beanpole.” Hinata grumbled. The nickname had everyone laughing again. 

Kageyama was regrettably close-lipped about his experience on the national team. He protested, saying he knew they all watched the games, since they never hesitated to text him how well he’d done or-in Hinata’s case-how he could improve. 

“We just want to hear it from your perspective, Kageyama.” Yachi insisted when he said once more that he didn’t understand why he needed to tell them anything. 

He looked at her, completely confused, “It’s volleyball! You all already know about volleyball!” he sputtered. They all gave up, and the conversation turned to more gossip-oriented topics. 

Yachi had heard from Kiyoko that Daichi and Suga had gotten an apartment together in Tokyo and were being bothered incessantly by Kuroo and Bokuto to hang out on weekends. She blushed heavily when Hinata asked how Kiyoko was doing, coughing gently into her hand in embarrassment before saying quietly that Kiyoko was doing just fine. 

She tried to redirect the attention to Kageyama by asking if he had met any nice girls on the tour, but at his utterly confused expression, she waved it off and turned back to her drink. Tsukishima noticed Hinata looked pleased that Kageyama hadn’t said yes, but chose to leave that one alone for now. 

“So, Tsukishima,” Hinata turned, wiggling his eyebrows in a way that Tsukishima knew was likely not going to end well for him, “You and Yamaguchi have been together for quite a while now, haven’t you?” His eyebrows continued their strange dance, and Tsukishima could feel himself blushing. 

He might just be able to answer the question before it was even asked. 

“Yeah,” He answered, trying to keep a goofy smile off his face. He cursed the four drinks he’d had before admitting, “I’ve actually been thinking of proposing to him for a while now.” 

The table fell quiet. Even Kageyama’s mouth hung open a little bit at the open confession from no other than the grumpy, quiet blond they’d known in high school. The silence was shattered by Yachi’s excited shrieking. 

“I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!” she yelled, punctuating each word with a slap to Tsukishima’s back. Hinata was smiling as wide as when he and Kageyama had first perfected their quick, raking his hands excitedly through his bright hair and alternating his stare of disbelief between Kageyama and Tsukishima, seemingly trying to ask nonverbally if the former had had any idea. Then, he and Yachi started bouncing in tandem. 

“How do you think you’re going to do it?” they asked excitedly, leaning in close and awaiting his answer expectantly.

Perhaps it was the alcohol, but despite all the fuss he couldn’t bring himself to regret telling them. They were the first people he had told, and somehow he felt lighter, even if it hadn’t been weighing on him at all. 

He shrugged. “It was just a thought. I don’t really have a plan yet. I haven’t even begun looking for a ring or anything yet. I don’t really know what he’d expect from me or anything.” He felt himself trailing off, looking down at his drink again. 

He felt more than saw the conspiratorial smile Yachi and Hinata shared before they began suggesting ideas. 

“Ooh! You should take him to the zoo! Buy him fries and propose in front of the monkey enclosure!”

“No, Shoyou, you don’t propose with French fries! And why the monkey enclosure?”

“I don’t know, he likes animals and monkeys are cool.”

“Oh! You could surprise him at work and propose in front of everyone he works with!”

“But, Yachi, he works in a hospital! What if someone dies because he’s distracted?”

“Good point. We don’t need that bad luck going into a new marriage.”

“Ooooooh! What if he proposes in front of the lion exhibit instead?”

“Shoyou, forget the zoo, he can’t propose at the zoo. It’s too dirty.”

“Ok, but what if-“

“I agree with Yachi,” Tsukishima tried to interject, “No zoo.”

It seemed like his comment went unheeded, as the two continued brainstorming and coming up with more and more convoluted and extremely embarrassing, scene-inducing, unnecessarily sappy or overtly sexual ploys. He and Kageyama sat silent while they tried to think of the perfect way for Tsukishima to propose. Kageyama had a strangely thoughtful look on his face, whereas Tsukishima’s was just beet red by this point. 

“What if he proposed on the top of the Tokyo Tower?”

“The real one, or that one near the Nekoma training camp?”

“The fake on-Of course the real one, Shoyou! Oh wait, do we know if Yamaguchi is afraid of heights?”

“No we don’t, so let’s rule out all tower related proposals.”

“Good plan. What about…”

Tsukishima stood up, sighing and motioning to his glass and raising his eyebrow at Kageyama who declined the offer for a refill. 

When he came back, Yachi and Hinata’s suggestions were slightly more subdued, and it seemed as if they had even gotten as far as speculating what the wedding would be like between ideas. 

“You know,” Kageyama raised his voice to be heard above the two, speaking for the first time since the news had been dropped, “I don’t really think it matters what you do. Yes, Yamaguchi would probably love if you were to go out of your comfort zone and make a huge scene about proposing to him, but that’s not really your style, and it would probably feel stunted and forced because of that.” 

He paused, regarding Tsukishima with a small smile, “I honestly don’t think it matters how, where or when you do it, so long as Yamaguchi knows it comes from the heart and you’re both comfortable with the situation.” Yachi and Hinata were staring at him more than they’d stared at Tsukishima not ten minutes go. 

“Aww, Bakageyama, you do have a heart!” Hinata exclaimed, patting him on the back. 

“Of course I do, asshole! I’m dating you!” He yelled back, his and Hinata’s face suddenly paling when they realized what he had just said, turning guiltily to their other friends at the table. 

Yachi was practically vibrating with excitement, and Tsukishima was shaking with chuckles. 

“Excuse me, King, what was that? I don’t know if I heard you right.” He teased. The pair blushed profusely but Tsukishima mouthed a quick ‘thank you’ to Kageyama-which he rolled his eyes at-as the subject was mercifully changed from his own relationship. 

They stayed at the restaurant until closing, and as Tsukishima got into his cab, he checked his watch, astounded to see it was nearing midnight, and that he had survived a five-hour dinner with his old teammates. They parted ways with an agreement to grab dinner again tomorrow-with much less alcohol this time-so they could all get to see Yamaguchi as well.

Tsukishima spent the cab ride to his and Yamaguchi’s shared apartment in thoughtful silence. Not that he would normally have talked the cab driver’s ear off, but he certainly had a lot more on his mind than he expected when he walked into that restaurant.

He struggled to fit his key into the lock, and stumbled into the entryway when he finally did get it open. Dropping his briefcase and keys at the doorway, he clumsily made his way to the bedroom to see Yamaguchi already curled up and asleep under the covers. He was facing away from the door, but Tsukishima could see in his mind’s eye exactly how his face would look, relaxed with sleep, his full lips moving slightly as he mumbled to himself in his sleep. 

Kageyama’s words popped into his mind, and before his alcohol flooded brain could stop him, he was talking to Yamaguchi’s sleeping form. 

“You know, I told everyone tonight that I had been thinking of proposing to you for a while now. They were all excited, as you’d probably expect, and they started suggesting how to do it, and Yachi and Hinata’s suggestions were all shit.” His words slurred in a way he wasn’t fond of, but he kept talking.\

“But Kageyama said something that got me thinking. He said I just need to speak from my heart, and you’d get it. But, I’m not like you Tadashi. I’ve never been as good with feelings or with putting them into words or whatever, so, if you don’t mind, I’m going to practice now. Yeah. That’s a good idea. Ok, here goes.”   
Yamaguchi didn’t stir, not that Tsukishima would have noticed if he had in his drunken state.

“I love you, Tadashi. I think you know that already. I hope you know that already. I’ve loved you since like our second year of middle school, when you were so determined to get better at volleyball and be a starter. Well, you were like that in high school too. You were always like that. You’re still like that, except we’re not playing volleyball anymore. Anyway, I love how hardworking you are and how you love what you do even if it makes you sad sometimes, but you still keep trying to help people, and make them feel better. You have so much determination and I’ve always admired you for it. 

“I love that you love dogs and how you carry around dog treats in your pocket whenever we go to the park and take pictures of them whenever you see them. I love that at least half of the photos on your phone are of dogs of people we never spoke to again. We really should move into a place where we can get a dog, or two, or however many you want, as long as we can afford to feed them, because that would just be rude not to.

“I love how you’re so patient with people, like, I’ve seen you at work and you’re so patient with kids when they don’t want a shot, or parents when they’re so worried about their kids they can barely breathe, and you’re just so patient with them it’s amazing. I would just yell at people if they were like that, but I guess that’s why I’m not a nurse and you are. 

“And you’re especially patient with me, which is incredible. Most people just write me off as an asshole, and they’re probably right, but you never see that for some reason. Kageyama said once that he thought you were broken or something because of that. But that wasn’t something I should say. See? This is what I’m talking about, I’m not good at this stuff like you, but you’re just so patient with me. You give me time to think enough to get the right words out. Because, well, I’ve always been good at insulting people, which is horrible, but I’ve never been good at compliments. 

“But you’re helping me get better at that, and I feel so much better when I’m with you. It’s like, you love me like I love you, but you’re so much more amazing for it, because I know I’m not exactly the best at this stuff. I should really stop saying that, shouldn’t I? It’s kind of taking away from what I’m trying to say.

“Either way, I just, I love you so much, Tadashi. I love how you hold my hand when we walk, how you laugh at me because I suck at cooking, how you always steal my fries and let me steal your cake. I love waking up to see you each morning, and your freckles and your cowlick and your eyes, god, your eyes are beautiful Tadashi. They’re like, yeah, of course they’re brown, but it’s just such a nice shade of brown. I love kissing you awake because you’re such a heavy sleeper, and then dragging you out of bed only because there’s coffee ready. I love how you make this small, no pets allowed apartment feel full and warm even in the winter when the heater breaks. 

“You make everything feel like home, Tadashi, and I know now that I want to spend the rest of my life like that. Waking you up and giving you coffee, and hearing about all the wonderful things you did at work and all the people you helped and all the dogs you pet on your way home. I want to be there for all of that. And I know I don’t have much in return to offer, but I’d love it so much if you’d marry me Tadashi. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, grow old with you, and all of that stuff that people say, but I really mean it. I love you so much.”

He sighed, lying down next to his sleeping boyfriend, passing out dead asleep almost immediately. 

~~~~~

He woke slowly, a pounding headache blurring his vision, despite the fact that he distinctly remembered falling asleep with his glasses on. He sat up with a loud groan, squinting to look around the room. From what he could tell by the light streaming in the windows, it was approaching noon. 

He heard a small noise outside the room, and Yamaguchi walked in, carrying a glass of water and some painkillers. He smiled shyly at Tsukishima, setting them down next to him and whispering, respectful of Tsukishima’s hangover, “I’ll be right back with coffee.”

True to his word, he returned in less than a minute, two steaming mugs in hand. Tsukishima accepted his thankfully, sipping on the hot drink as his boyfriend took a seat at the end of the bed. 

They exchanged soft conversation, Tsukishima relaying everything he remembered from dinner the night before. Yamaguchi, somehow, was not surprised by the revelation that Hinata and Kageyama were dating. 

As Yamaguchi shared how his evening went-two trauma patients had been rushed in so he had been busy in the ICU all night- Tsukishima found himself distracted by how the light hit his skin, highlighting his many freckles. He was so incredibly beautiful, and Tsukishima was so lucky. He found himself smiling just at the thought that he had been so blessed to even meet him. 

When they’d finished their coffee, Yamaguchi took the mugs and was halfway out the door, when he turned around, blushing sheepishly.

“Oh, umm…About what you said last night,” he said softly so that Tsukishima could barely hear, “It’s a yes. That is, umm, if you meant it.”

He blushed, then ducked out of the room.

Tsukishima was puzzled for a minute before it clicked. 

Yamaguchi hadn’t been asleep.

He stumbled out of bed, his legs caught in the covers and causing him to fall over. His headache still left his head fuzzy, so his progress to the bedroom door was halting and slow and he had to brace himself against the wall a few times. When he finally made it to the kitchen, Yamaguchi was blushing deeply and washing dishes nonchalantly. 

Tsukishima shook his head clear and walked briskly over his boyfriend (fiancé?) and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“I didn’t know you heard.” He mumbled happily into the back of Yamaguchi’s neck.

Yamaguchi turned in his embrace and looped his arms around Tsukishima’s neck, still blushing. 

“You’re not exactly quiet when you’re drunk, Tsukki.” He teased, “Also, you practically yelled the whole thing.”

Now it was Tsukishima’s turn to blush. “But,” he asked quietly, bumping his nose with his own, “It is a yes though?”

Yamaguchi laughed. “Hmm, I don’t know.” He pretended to consider, smirking deviously. “Maybe you should ask me again so I know you mean it.”

Tsukishima blushed. “Fine. Will. You. Marry. Me?” he kissed his boyfriend sweetly on the lips between each word, continuing to pepper the rest of his face with kisses after he finished asking.

Yamaguchi continued to giggle, finally staving off all of the kisses. “Yes, Tsukki, I’d love to.” 

Both boys looked at each other for a second, pressing their foreheads together and taking a moment to grasp the situation. 

“So are we?”

“Engaged? Yeah.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, wow.” 

“Oh my god, Tsukki.”

“What?”

“They’re going to give us hell at dinner, aren’t they?”


End file.
